3.5/5
Rated: PG-13
In our uptown modern society we don’t see head or tail of these fellers nowadays, but here comes a new day with the risin’ sun, and it’s blazin’ glory comes forth Antoine Fuqua’s The Magnificent Seven. It is by no means an original story, seein’ as it is a remake of John Sturges’ picture by the same the title, and his picture was based heavily on Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai.” What makes this new one so original is its new style of high stakes directin’, its colorful cast of characters, and its brilliant score composed in part by the late James Horner.
Antoine Fuqua is not known for makin’ westerns. I believe this to be his first. Based on his line of work, he’s always prided himself on how well he can capture intense modern day action. This is seen is some of his pictures, such as “Training Day,” “Olympus has Fallen,” “Shooter,” and “The Equalizer.” A common element in all these films is Antoine’s desire to go close in on action scenes, and before the action starts it’s mostly close ups of the characters themselves. Interestin’ enough, this style of directin’ makes for a quite the surefire shootout. It’s rivetin’ seein’ the sweat drip down a man’s brown before he stains his hands with gun powder and crimson. In this way Fuqua brings his viewers right into the minds of every one of his characters, so you practically know what they gonna do before you hear the pop pop pop of their glorious shootout. Good sign for a film if it can get you excited for any action scene, especially if its viewers only just saw one about five minutes ago.
The characters in this film are a wild bunch, but dadgummit they’re good. Denzel Washington is our lone pistol wielder for hire standin’ out in front of everyone else. He’s got a voice that can stop a fight and an attitude that says don’t mess with me. Chris Pratt is a likeable slicker with sharp whitt, keen eyes, and a purdy wink for all the gals. Anytime he’s on screen all eyes are on him. Aside from his role as Peter Quill in that there space film “Guardians of the Galaxy,” this may be his best performance yet. These two stars is accompanied by Ethan Hawke, Byung hun-Lee, Manuel Gracia-Ruffalo, Martin Sensmeier, and Vincent D'Onofrio. Every single one of them plays well off the other, but they are characters. They are exaggerated personas, and to some viewers that may be a little off-puttin’. But let me put your mind at ease brother, because these personas are wild, fast, cunning, sharp, soulful, fierce, and funny as hell.
The last stand-out part of this here moving picture is its magnificent score. It never strays from the moment. It never tries to impress. It heightens what is on screen, and it gives each character a deeper personality. It’s a raw sound. It penetrates the soul. The strings bring out the blue hues of the sky. The drums rip up the Earth below. The cry of a woman or the whistle in the breeze reminds us of our humanity and mortality. Quite the sight for your ears.
The Magnificent Seven is a hoedown worth attendin’ and comin’ back to every so often, but you gotta know what you came for before you go and shell out your hard earned wages on this here picture. Ask yourself what you are comin’ for. Have you come for wide skies and barren soil? Have you come for the warmth of a woman's heart and the fire of a man’s spirit? Have you come for drinkin’ and good times before the moon sets and darkness prowls? Have you come for the justice that can only be delivered with the click of a trigger, the fall of a hammer, and the release of seven pounds of pressure? Have you come to bathe in the sunlight of glory before it sets on your soul one last time? Then, my friend, you are in the right place.
The Magnificent Seven is a hoedown worth attendin’ and comin’ back to every so often, but you gotta know what you came for before you go and shell out your hard earned wages on this here picture. Ask yourself what you are comin’ for. Have you come for wide skies and barren soil? Have you come for the warmth of a woman's heart and the fire of a man’s spirit? Have you come for drinkin’ and good times before the moon sets and darkness prowls? Have you come for the justice that can only be delivered with the click of a trigger, the fall of a hammer, and the release of seven pounds of pressure? Have you come to bathe in the sunlight of glory before it sets on your soul one last time? Then, my friend, you are in the right place.
The Verdict: The Magnificent Seven is a good movie that brings quite a cast of characters together to fight in a good ol' wild west shootout, but with the cinematic aspects of a modern action film.
